Tears can Blind you… Smiles can break you…

"I've never been in this door," you called back to Brent as you ran ahead in the hallway to a big black door that had a strange smell coming from the other side. You held the cloth of your dress up to your nose. "It smells terrible...."

Brent walked up to the door and hardly seemed to notice. "Yes... so there must be something terrible on the other side. Let's go."

He tried to pull on your arm, but you examined the door looking for some way to open it. "Hold on. There might be something interesting behind it."

"Aiyana I really think we should lea-"

"I got it!" You called out triumphantly and the huge door silently swung open realeasing a wind of the foul odor right onto the both of you. Having gotten used to it after that you decided to investigate against Brent's wishes and since he didn't want you going it alone he followed you down the steep slime-covered stairs that led into completele darkness until you reached the bottom. Looking around the huge room that you were now in you found it to be some kind of torture chamber. You didn't find anythin, but skeletons in the devices though to your own personal relief. As cruel as Strahd might seem he obviously wasn't THAT bad. But it made you question where the smell was coming from since it hung thick in the air and seemed to come from another door that was already open. "Brent I'm going down there," you said already disappearing into the darkness of another stairway.

"Aiyana wait! Don't-"

But it was too late. You froze as you entered the next room and couldn't breath. You could only stare at the horror before you and wonder... why?

There in a small, dank prison were at least six girls hudled around eachother in their freezing quarters. They were thin as if from startvation and each tear stained face turned up to you in desperation as their cries reached your ears.

"Help us, please!"

"Get us out of here!"

"He'll be back soon. Help us soon..."

"Show mercy for the children!"

You hadn't noticed, but there were two small girls, barely much of anything looking scared beyond belief and near death.

You backed up until you felt Brent behind you. You turned to him, your eyes accusing and filled with silent hurt. "You knew..." Brent looked extremely uncomfortable, and couldn't meet your eyes. You knew by his actions that he knew and that's why he had tried to stop you. You turned furiously away from him and to the women. "Don't worry," you smiled kindly at each of them. "I'm going to get you out of here.

"But Strahd..."

"He doesn't scare me," you said confidently and using an easy spell you had figured out from the books Strahd had given you unlocked the door and ushered the women out. You walked up to the two girls who were hiding in a shady corner and kneeled down beside them. They were huddled around the body of another little girl and you knew instantly that she was dead. Taking a deep breath you smiled as best you could. "It's ok little ones. I'm here to take you home."

"We can’t go yet. Elza is still sleeping," one of them said pointing to the dead girl.

Your heart was breaking. How could you tell them she was dead... "You're right. But you two need to come with me now."

The girls looked uneasily at one another and as soon as you had stood up one of them collapsed back onto the ground.

"Oria!" The other one cried dropping to her side.

You touched the child only to find her burning up with fever.

"What's your name, little one?" You asked the still conscious one.

"Casia," she answered rubbing her tear filled eyes. "Oria's sick... she can't walk..."

You smiled lightly wiping Casia's tears away. "Can you walk Casia?"

She nodded, so you picked up Oria's burning body, took Casia's hand and led all of the women up the stairs and into the castle hallway without a word or glance to Brent who only avoided looking at you.

"What in the nine hells is going on here?" A very angry looking Strahd said seeing nothing, but the freed women in front of him. "Who-" But then he saw you. He saw you and the look on your face that could melt stone. "Aiyana, what are you doing...?"

You handed Oria to Brent and quietly walked up to Strahd.

You stared into each others eyes without words for many long moments until you finally lashed out and slapped him across the face. "You're a monster..."

Strahd was so stunned that he didn't try to stop you as you left...

You led everyone through the forest carrying Casia now, who told you that Strahd had killed her entire family so her and her sister Oria had no one to return to. "You'll come with me," you reassured the little girl, though you didn't know where you would go. One thing was for sure though. It would be away from Castle Ravenloft and the devil Strahd...